


tahanan (hearth)

by panyang



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drabble, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Half-Filipino Iwaizumi Hajime, Light Angst, M/M, Meet the Family, One Shot, Volcanoes, takes place right before they go to cali and argentina!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26460547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panyang/pseuds/panyang
Summary: Tooru had two days to pack his things, then they were at the airport, and then the plane. Five hours of in-flight Disney movies later, with Tooru asleep on his shoulder, their pilot announces their safe arrival, and Hajime was home. Not even a minute after they spill out into the arrivals area Tooru hears a loud cheer from somewhere off to the side.“Iwa-chan,” he says, tugging at Hajime’s sleeve. “I think I found your grandma."Or, a snapshot of the summer before Iwaizumi and Oikawa go long-distance.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 19
Kudos: 79





	tahanan (hearth)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [outrocolor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/outrocolor/gifts).



> ELLY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU ELLY
> 
> for any non-tagalog speakers, worry not: pretty much the only words i used here is lola, tito, and tita, which mean grandmother, uncle and aunt, respectively. _mano_ refers to the culture of kissing your elders' hands or pressing it to your forehead as a sign of respect. writing this fic has made me so happy, thank you so much to elly, the universe, for letting me get all up in my family love feels with iwaoi vacationing in the ph
> 
> disclaimer; the names are made up, and you'll have to excuse me if i messed up any of the bits about taal! i've never really seen it from up close, but i do know its cool as hell
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

Iwaizumi Hajime, born on June 10 to one Iwaizumi Haruo and Maria Ysabella Castro, first flies to the Philippines at five and a half months old. He cries loudly when the airplane starts, cries loudly when it lands, and cries some more when they finally get into a cab. When he arrives in his lola's house in Tagaytay, he is cooed over and aw'ed at by all twelve members of his mama's family, who take turns passing him around like a hot potato. His father is a little baffled. His mother is filled with joy. They fly back to Miyagi after two weeks, and come back the year after that, and then the year after that. His whole family gets to see him grow into the wonderful young man he is now, even if it's only a single summer at a time.

The summer before he goes off to college he boards a Cebu Pacific plane with extra luggage in the form of Oikawa Tooru.

It starts like this: Tooru spending his Sunday afternoon at the Iwaizumis' whining about how Iwa-chan was leaving him again, _oh woe is me, what a terrible boyfriend I have_. Hajime knows that for all the joking Tooru makes, he really is sad about him leaving--it's their last summer together, before Tooru flies out for Argentina and him California. Distance is new to them, and scary, and Tooru doesn't face scary head-on. Scary is danced around, skirted, so when Iwa-chan goes into the kitchen to put away their dishes from lunch, he speaks to his mom for a minute before heading back into the living room.

"There he is," Tooru says when he comes back in. "My terrible boyfriend, who is leaving me alone, yet again." Hajime rolls his eyes and pushes Tooru to the edge of the couch so he can lie down on it, head on his lap. "Shut up." he says, then closes his eyes to the feeling of Tooru running his fingers through his hair. Not a minute later Maria appears around the doorway, a big smile on her face.

“Say, Tooru-chan,” she smiles. “Do you think your parents would let me steal you away for a few weeks?” The smile Tooru returned to her was the biggest Hajime had ever seen it.

So that was that. Tooru had two days to pack his things, then they were at the airport, and then the plane. Five hours of in-flight Disney movies later, with Tooru asleep on his shoulder, their pilot announces their safe arrival, and Hajime was home. Not even a minute after they spill out into the arrivals area Tooru hears a loud cheer from somewhere off to the side.

“Iwa-chan,” he says, tugging at Hajime’s sleeve. “I think I found your grandma."

* * *

Hajime Castro-Iwaizumi, or as his family knows him, just Haji, is his Lola Nanay's favorite grandson. She says as much as soon as she sees him, this tiny, creaky looking woman who is wielding a handbag twice the size of her torso. Her skin is the same gorgeous brown that Iwa-chan has, eyes just as warm and kind.

"My favorite apo!" she calls out. She starts to walk towards him, wringing her wrinkled hands excitedly. She's got soft, silver hairs framing her face, but when she smiles at Hajime she seems to look a little younger. "Nanay," Iwa-chan says, dropping his bags and immediately jogging up to her.

" _Mano_ , Nanay." Hajime says, taking her hand and pressing it to his forehead. She grabs him in a big, sweeping hug, this graying little lady who is probably half his size, and they start to talk in rapid Tagalog. Tooru doesn't have the first clue as to what they're talking about, but at some point Iwa-chan slows down enough for him to hear his name, and he gestures at his grandma with a tilt of his head. The smile on Iwa-chan's face is reassuring, and behind him he feels Maria nudge his back encouragingly.

Tooru braces himself, and takes a step forward.

"Hi, Nanay," he says, a little shyly. Lola Nanay stares at him for a moment. She's got that piercing look too, Tooru realizes, the exact same scrutinizing glare Iwa-chan has before she breaks into a grin and says, "Tooru!" She says it like she's known him all his life, and now it's his turn to be held in that crushing grip of hers. He wonders where she gets all that strength from, or if all grandmas are just like that.

When she finally pulls back, she grips his arms and shakes him a little, like she can't believe he's real. "Look at you!" she says in English, before turning to Iwa-chan. "What a handsome boy!" she says happily. "I hear you're taking good care of my Haji," she tells him. Tooru only smiles at Iwa-chan. "It's really the other way around."

There's much catching up to be done in the car. Lola Nanay is seated in front, twisting sightly in her seat while she and Maria talk, with Iwa-chan interjecting in a few places. Iwa-chan is so animated like this, a little louder than he usually is. Tooru thinks he should be feeling out of place, but Lola Nanay is the sweetest lady he's ever met, right alongside his own grandmother, and she tries her best to include him in the conversation. She asks him questions about how her Haji is in school, at matches. How long have you been together? Does he treat you good? Do _you_ treat him good? Iwa-chan's hand never leaves Tooru's thigh through the whole ride.

"I've never been more taken care of," Iwa-chan says before Tooru can answer. It's sincere and soft, and Tooru almost asks the driver to roll the window down so he can scream into the traffic.

At some point in the ride Tooru realizes the driver is one of Iwa-chan's uncles, and in the time they spend in the car together Tooru has learned more drama about Iwa-chan's several aunts and uncles than he ever thought he would his entire two week stay.

"Ay!" Lola Nanay exclaims, turning to face the backseat once again. She's wagging a finger with a great, big opal ring and shaking her head. "Don't you get me started on Tita Baby." She's looking at Iwa-chan with an intensity like he has anything to do with this. "Did you know that she didn't invite Auntie Mel for Jekjek's birthday the other week? And you remember that other thing she did with your other _tito_? Hay, Mel was furious."

Tooru leans towards Iwa-chan's ear and says in low Japanese, "I can't remember who's who."

Iwa-chan laughs, and whispers back, "It's fine, I hardly ever do."

* * *

The next several days in Lola's house are honestly a little overwhelming. He is welcomed into a large but cozy home with a lush garden. Iwa-chan seems to have about a dozen cousins, all flitting in and out of the place. "Moving out isn't really a big thing here," Hajime explains. "Sometimes even when their kids get married they just have their in-laws move in, so its just one big house with one big family."

Tooru can see that. It's like almost every few hours he comes across someone he hasn't met yet, or a neighbor arrives. There'll be a lot of excited yelling and cheek kissing and Iwa-chan doing his _mano_ and Tooru being ushered to do the same. He is taken out and introduced each time, it's endearing in the most heartwarming way, like; _this is Tooru, my Hajime's boy. Come say hi - he's ours now too._

He's never met a group of people more affectionate and open about that affection; they tease Hajime about finally bringing home the boy he never shuts up about, and Hajime is so game about it that it's a little disconcerting. Tooru's used to being the one to fluster Iwa-chan. Suddenly his entire clan shows up at his grandmother's house making fun of them like they're middle schoolers, and Hajime thrives in it. 

Then there's the food; there's always food cooking, somewhere. It's like before he's fully digested all the wonderful meals they've already had, Lola Nanay is already asking if anyone wants snacks. In the afternoons they walk outside, and Hajime takes him to all these spots he used to hang out in the summers before; the games he used to play at this part of the street, that one electric post he slammed into when he was seven and still learning how to ride a bike. On Sunday he's taken to this old, majestic looking church, and he rides a jeep for the first time, all excited about passing people's change back and forth. They try the street food and play a pick-up basketball game, and then volleyball, and it's like home, in this strange, exciting new way. Tooru thinks it's really just because Iwa-chan is there. He's right about that.

There's family reunions left and right. Some of these people aren't even related to Iwa-chan anymore, but it makes sense, still. Cousin Berta isn't really a cousin, but when she laughs with Tita Mel and offers to help out with the dishes after dinner, it feels a lot like she already is, you know?

Today they're in the kitchen, and Hajime is making something Tooru's never had before but smells fantastic. "Some family you just find as you go along," he says, and Tooru knows what that means. He thinks about family with different blood and different names in a single shared uniform, so he nods understandingly and says, "Yeah, I get that." Hajime adds chopped up vegetables into the pot he's boiling over the stove, and they share a smile.

By the end of the first week Tooru has the greetings down; his _titas_ like to kiss his cheeks and his _titos,_ like Tito Mike who drove them from the airport, like to hug. His grandparents prefer the _mano_ , and he knows that he's supposed to say yes each time they offer to show him a picture of Iwa-chan as a baby. Karaoke is a shared passion between Japan and the Philippines, rice even more so. Family is big, and family is good, and Tooru comes to understand why even though Iwa-chan was never about grand, public gestures, he's always loved so well; it's because growing up, everyone had love for everyone too.

The days pass quickly, the way they often do when all of them are good. One lazy morning Lola Nanay bursts into Iwa-chan's bedroom and declares, "You're going to a volcano." Hajime is still asleep when she says this, nestled in the sheets and in Tooru's arms, and Tooru has half a mind to be embarrassed at the state of them, sleepy and comfortable. But Lola Nanay is unperturbed, she just nods and says, "Wake him up in five minutes, tell him you're both going to Taal." Tooru lets out a garbled affirmative, voice still scratchy from sleep, and she closes the door behind her when she leaves.

Taal, like Lola Nanay said, was a volcano in Batangas. Except that it wasn't _just_ a volcano in Batangas; it was a volcanic lake with an island in the middle. Lola Nanay explained that she had a tour booked just for the two of them - a graduation gift of sorts, and also because she felt bad that they didn't get much time alone.

Tooru has never seen a volcano up close, so he's all bouncy and giddy with excitement the whole way through. They get off the van and register at the tours center at the foot of the island. Their tour guide, a big smiling fellow who asks to be called Jepoy, directs them to the cafeteria where they can have coconut juice and snack on barbecue before they start. They make their way to Talisay, the island, by motorized banka, a slightly rickety looking canoe with a roof and outriggers made of bamboo. Tooru loves the feel of the wind, rushing towards him strong and cool despite the sun. He laughs delightedly when he looks at Iwa-chan over his shoulder; Iwa-chan is looking right at him too.

"I love you!" He calls out over the roar of the banka's engine.

"What?" Iwa-chan says, cupping a hand around his ear. Tooru huffs, then bellows, "I said I love you!" Iwa-chan is trying not to grin now. "I really can't hear you over the water--"

"I love you, dumb Iwa-chan!"

Iwa-chan lowers his face into his hands for a moment, before lifting it back up to say, "I know. I love you too." Like this, Tooru shines brighter than the sun above.

When they arrive at the trekking point, they stop to take pictures of the view. Iwa-chan pretends not to see Oikawa take photos of him too, and eventually they start the climb up. It's hot out, but nothing unbearable. The summers in the Philippines are just slightly hotter than the ones they have in Japan, so they work through most of the forty minute trek with relative ease. Every few minutes their guide points at something in the distance, talks about how long ago the last eruption was.

"Do you guys think it's going to erupt any time soon?" Tooru asks Jepoy. He takes a thoughtful minute to respond. "I think not." Jepoy says. "But you know, nature can be weird. Things don't always stay the same, after a long time."

Tooru doesn't seem to like that answer very much, because he gets a little quiet as they get closer. Iwa-chan thinks it must be about the volcano, for a second. But they reach the summit and look out over the aquamarine stretch of water before them, and Tooru's eyes look a little lost. Sos beautiful, but so glazed over, distant. He nudges him with his shoulders and asks in a low voice, “You in there?” Tooru looks up at him with a smile that’s both fond and sad.

“It's weird to think it’s our last summer together, huh?”

Hajime thinks he doesn't know what to say to that. It's hard, sometimes, to find the words. When all you know is that you know him, this boy. He makes you love so much your arms shake with the weight of it all. So instead Hajime takes Tooru's hands, pulls him close to his chest and just holds him. Patient. Steadying.

He lays his head against Hajime’s shoulder, slotted right on the crook of his neck—it's the perfect height for him, like they were just always built to fit together this way. It should be gross; they're both sticky with sweat and the sun is a hot eye overhead but somehow, it's what he needs. Tooru keeps his eyes out on the water. Like this, the lake looks like it’s stretched out before them, large and endless, a place to sink into.

“Sometimes, I think we’re gonna get swallowed whole,” Tooru continues.

“By the lake?” Hajime asks. Tooru snorts.

“I guess. The lake, the world. The distance.” There’s a pause as Tooru sighs. “The time.” Hajime knows what that means, so he pulls back a little, just to look Oikawa in the eyes. There’s that sad look again, even when Tooru tries to give him a smile, it only makes it look like it’s made of broken parts. All Hajime wants is to piece it back together. He wraps Tooru back in for another embrace, tight, like it'll hold them both together.

“Shittykawa,” he says, voice fond. “I guess it looks like that, sometimes. But it won’t.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Tooru says. His voice is slightly muffled now, face buried into the muscle of Hajime's shoulders.

“Yeah, I can," he says seriously. He hopes Tooru can feel every honest drum beat in his chest. “You’d always bigger than all the distance, somehow." Hajime says. "And I know--I know it's a lot. We're gonna have to go through a lot--and we're just kids and there's still so much to learn and be, but I hope you don't think for a minute that anything could change us."

Hajime takes a steadying breath, and Tooru holds him through that before he continues, "You'd always be my home." Tooru knows what that means. They've got their arms around each other in a place he's never known and all at once, it's real, it’s warm.

He’s home.

**Author's Note:**

> ELLY u are a magical bean and i adore u--i just wanted to say thank you again for everything. you are a treasure trove of a person and im grateful to know you
> 
> this ran away from me a lil, as all my fic do, i am very sorry 🙇 i hope this was ok nonetheless!!
> 
> tahanan is probably one of my favorite words of all time--it literally translates to home, or hearth. while apparently not its root word, "tahan", or "tahan na", means to cease crying. so your tahanan, your home, is where you are at ease, and where you stop your crying :)


End file.
